The development will not have any immediate impact on the daily running of cricket. The ICC Board has agreed that cricket at all levels, including any series, bilateral and domestic tournaments, will not be disrupted by the suspension, ESPNcricinfo has learned. As for the ICC’s annual funding, it will be controlled until the suspension is lifted.
Shami Silva, president of the SLC, had recently warned that the biennial tournament, scheduled to be held in January 2024, was at risk of being moved out of the country unless the ICC was satisfied that the Sri Lankan government was not interfering in the work of the board, which is inconsistent with Constitution of the International Criminal Court. . The SLC and the country’s Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe have been in conflict over the past year, with Ranasinghe leveling accusations of corruption and mismanagement at the cricket board, while Silva and the SLC accused him of interfering in cricket.
Silva also notified the ICC in November 2022 of government intervention that forced the ICC’s Board of Directors to ask its Vice President Imran Khawaja to travel to Sri Lanka to establish the facts.
South Africa have been favorites to host U-19 World Cup events in recent times. The country hosted the inaugural U-19 Women’s World Cup in 2023 and the Men’s U-19 World Cup in 2020 as well. The venues for the 2024 edition are likely to be the two venues in Benoni and Potchefstroom that hosted the women’s competition earlier this year.
The top 11 full-fledged teams from the 2022 edition qualified directly, with five teams – Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Scotland and the USA – earning their places through regional qualifying events. The 2024 edition will also be played in a new format – with a new ‘Super Sixes’ division during the second stage of the event.
